Did the 49ers pick the right Michael?

The last draft for the 49ers could prove momentous and not because the 49ers really planned it that way. In unknowing concert with the Raiders, the 2009 draft spun the 49ers in an entirely new direction.

With the 10th pick in the first round, the 49ers didn’t anticipate having any chance at landing Texas Tech wide receiver Michael Crabtree. As the draft progressed, it appeared the 49ers might take Ole Miss tackle Michael Oher. But then, the Raiders selected Darius Heyward-Bey with the seventh choice. The 49ers relinquished Oher and chose Crabtree.

Would the 49ers be better off with Michael Oher instead of Michael Crabtree?

But imagine if the Raiders had taken Crabtree and the 49ers picked Oher. With the big tackle anchoring the right side, we might have never seen Alex Smith. Oher with his pass-protecting and run-blocking acumen, could have improved the run game and allowed season-opening starter Shaun Hill a little more time to operate. Oher’s play might have been just enough for the 49ers to retain their run-first, clock-controlling offense.

Instead Oher fell to the Ravens with the 23rd pick, and the 49ers selected Crabtree. So when Frank Gore missed a few games with an ankle injury, and Hill faltered, Smith grabbed the opportunity. Smith not only excelled but he did so mainly through the shotgun formation. Smith was then aided when Crabtree ended his holdout and suddenly, he had a dynamic wide receiver with knowledge of a spread-like offense.

Amazingly, Crabtree caught 48 passes in 11 games without training camp or engagement in off-season practices. With a greater grasp of the offense, a full training camp, a 16-game slate, and a quarterback with a second year in the system, what kind of numbers will Crabtree post?

Of course the greater question is will this year’s draft either augment or retard the prevalence of the team’s shotgun offense? That’s what makes this draft, and the teams twin choices in the first round, so intriguing.